Shaheen Shah Afridi was the hero for Pakistan when they defeated India in the T20 World Cup 2021 by 10 wickets. He took a figure of 3/31 in his four overs and was also the Player of The Match in the epic clash against arch-rivals India. Pakistan never won a T20 World Cup match against India before the 2021 edition. The Men in Green reached the semi-finals in that edition but was eliminated by Australia who went on to win the competition by beating New Zealand in the finals.
Shaheen Shah Afridi was elected as the new skipper of the Pakistan national cricket team after Babar Azam stepped down from the role following the early exit of the Pakistan team in the ODI World Cup 2023. Shaheen Afridi had a terrible first series as a captain as Pakistan lost to New Zealand 1-4 in the five-match T20I series recently. Shaheen Shah Afridi was trusted with the responsibility of leading the side after he led his PSL side Lahore Qalandars to consecutive title wins.
Shaheen Shah Afridi remembered the 2021 T20 World Cup encounter against India and said that it was a memorable edition because of the win against India. He mentioned that he took advice from Shahid Afridi before the match. Afridi also said that the team wanted to win the match for Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez as they were the most experienced players on the side and had faced defeat against India, many times previously.
“We had never defeated India in the T20 World Cup before. The 2021 edition was very memorable for us! I phoned Lala (Shahid Afridi) and took advice from him. We also wanted to win for Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez” said Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Shaheen Shah Afridi Reveals Emotions About The Win Against India In The 2021 T20 World Cup
“We had never defeated India in the T20 World Cup before. The 2021 edition was very memorable for us! I phoned Lala (Shahid Afridi) and took advice from him. We also wanted to win for Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez” – Shaheen Afridi ❤️❤️#AskShaheen
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) February 4, 2024
The Pakistan cricket team has been in shambles since the Asia Cup 2023. They finished last on the Super 4 tables in the Asia Cup and then failed to qualify for the top four in the ODI World Cup 2023. They were whitewashed by Australia in the three-match Test series in December 2023 and then also faced defeat against New Zealand by 1-4 in the five-match T20I series. The Pakistan players are playing in different T20 leagues currently and will feature in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) which is scheduled to commence on February 17.
The 2021 T20 World Cup was memorable for Pakistan as they defeated India for the first time in a World Cup match. However, in the following T20 World Cup in 2022, they were again defeated by the Men in Blue in a close encounter. The two arch-rivals will clash against each other in the 2024 T20 World Cup which will be hosted jointly by the West Indies and the United States. India and Pakistan will face each other on June 9 in New York where a temporary stadium is being set up with a seating capacity of 34000.
